Testimonials

There’s only a few individuals who truly see that their impact can be beyond our local communities, and transcends that energy into a globally connected movement that empowers the youth and the opens the gift of style within us all. Paulskee has signified the true energy of Hip-Hop and the power of giving back to the art forms. His early productions are still blueprints to today’s amazing bboy and dance industry.

My first time hearing about Paulskee was when I first learned how to surf the internet in 1994 in my college library. I came across a write up about the San Francisco Bay Area Hip Hop scene written by him in one of the first Bboy websites entitled Cardboard Only. Even back then he was about spreading awareness about Hip Hop and culture in its entirety on a platform that was just beginning to blossom. Who would have thought years later we would go on to bridge the gap between Southern California and the Bay Area in 1999 with Freestyle Session and Mighty 4 events then nationwide with our Out For Fame Championship tours and eventually the across the world with his Rock Force Crew winning World Championships and Mighty4 events being thrown worldwide, all while shining a light on pioneers (building and learning about their history) in major cities across the planet via his Appreciation Awards. Always sticking true to his motto ALWAYS A STUDENT learning always and taking what he has learned and passing it down to his plethora of students who all have major world titles of their very own from local promoter levels up to World Champion Dj’s and B-boy’s/B-girl’s. His credentials are second to none and to be all honest it would take doctorate type years to even scrape the surface of what he has unearthed in the Hip Hop scene itself history and event wise. Not much I can really say that hasn’t been said about this man but one thing I can say that can resonate with everyone that has built and crossed paths with him is THANK YOU!

Much of Massive Monkees success is due to mentorship, influences, and involvement in the Hip Hop community worldwide. Paulskeee has provided all of those to myself and my crew. Mighty4 and Out For Fame were integral events in the development of our careers as artists. At those events in we were exposed to the global community of young artists and made connections and friendships that carry on to this day. We were able to set goals, compete at these events and elevate our craft as well as expand our experiences. These experiences we now reflect on, build curriculum around and share with our students. Beyond these events Paulskeee has been a mentor and inspiration sharing knowledge and wisdom with me that have helped me to build The Beacon and create a legacy for future generations of Hip Hoppers in our city. To this day I continue to watch Paulskeee and look to him and his programs for inspiration as well as advice on continuing to develop and redefine outreach and education through Hip Hop. Thank you Paulskeee for your contribution to our culture.

As a female Breaker (Break dancer) it’s not easy to find genuine guidance and support in such male dominated culture but Paulskeee has been a consistent pillar of wisdom and a creator of opportunities not only to me but to many other individuals as well. His love and passion for Hip Hop culture has been shining for over two decades and his body of work is a true reflection of what giving back to our community means. No matter the platform he’s on, whether worldwide renown events of all Hip Hop elements he produces or small classrooms of students eager to learn, Paulskeee devotes himself 100% because what matters most to him is keeping this beautiful culture alive and empowering the youth through passing down the knowledge necessary to achieve greatness in life. What i’ve also admired from the moment I met Paulskeee is the bond he’s always had with his son Paulskee Jr. Fatherhood says a lot about a man’s values and ability to posses what it takes to be a role model that can help shape the future of young men and women and help them become leaders of our society. I can’t thank Paulskeee enough for the positive impact he’s had in my journey and the consistent support he’s showed towards my achievements and goals. He’s someone i can always turn to for advice and depend on when needed the most. We need more individuals like him that can help mentor future generations while being able to relate and keep young at heart like he does.

First off, I would like to say that Paul is the true definition of a leader and influencer for his community. I’ve known Paul for nearly 20 years, and his number one devotion, is the passion he has for contributing knowledge, love, and support to his peers. Although he may be a mentor to many of his students, Paul is also a student in so many ways. He is constantly surrounded by youth, young adults, and adults that allow him to keep learning daily. For this reason is why I am not only a long time friend, but a fan of his work. When a leader can always remain a student, then that leader will always produce more leaders. Our culture needs more Paulskeees!

Paulskeee is a dedicated practitioner and developer of global Hip Hop culture. Through his network and passion for the culture, he has taken the time to interview and transcribe Hip Hop pioneers from all around the world. His passion and dedication towards the arts has allowed him to travel around the world to share his knowledge and to experience how other countries interpret and express Hip Hop through their own respective cultures. He also does his due diligence in learning about the social and economical impact the Hip Hop provides to every demographic. Through his massive network, Paulskeee continuously stays informed of the climate of the culture worldwide. Paulskeee developed a pedagogy through his discipline and commitment towards dancing and transferred the same principals and work ethics to start the Mighty 4 Arts Foundation. Using his teachings, Paulskeee also mentored and created opportunities for many artists, dancers and DJ’s which are currently thriving and highly ranked within the worldwide Hip Hop Community. Currently, Paulskeee, has again used all of what he has learned and acquired to teach the youth in Union City and San Leandro, California how to nurture the “Art of Learning” through Hip Hop creative expression.

Paul Ruma aka Paulskeee has been solid in the true school Hip Hop scene since I met him in the late 90s! He has organized amazing authentic events within the culture. I have always admired his drive and contributions to the Hip Hop community!

Paul “Paulskeee” Ruma has been instrumental in my career in dance as well as many others in the B-boy/B-girl scene today. My first encounter with him was at the Mighty 4 event which was taking place annually in San Francisco prior to me attending my first one in 2006. On the event flier there was an advertisement that there will be the first ever Toprock battle category and I knew that I had to attend. This was the first event I ever went to outside of the tri-state area. Paul was extremely accommodating when I arrived and I was impressed how he had such a large event under control! I went on to win the Toprock category during the evening and it is safe to say that the Mighty4 event gave me the platform I needed to showcase my talent as well as helped me to get my name out into the world. The great thing about Paul is that he kept in close contact with me after the event and gave me a few more opportunities through other smaller events that he also helped produce. He continued to assist in my exposure as a dancer and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for him, and for that I am eternally thankful. I know there are many others in the Hip Hop community that can share a similar story about Paul. He has been an important figure and ambassador of the culture for many years now. He has made sacrifices, paid dues and continues to be a force in the culture through building community. I wish him the best always.

Paulskeee is like a straight up Hip-Hop Buddha. Calm, collected and always following the light. He’s all about the community, his crew, his family and always has time to reach out to people. That’s what it’s all about to me in this culture, is to reach out to people and to uplift them. Making a difference in someones life is God’s gift in you and we all have that power to do it really, depends how much work you put in and the will to actually make things happen. Paulskeee’svery passionate about that and I admire that. Paulskeee found his purpose and I’m happy for him. When I first met him back in 1999 he spoke like a true leader, maybe that’s why he’s a great mentor. Without him and Cros I wouldn’t be the B-boy I am today. Your environment is everything. When you have someone that can lead you to the right direction you can go so far just with a little help. I know we all grow apart as we get older, things change and we get caught up with a lot of distraction sometimes but that’s life and when you have a random phone call once in awhile from your boy like Paulskeee just to say wasup, you ok, how’s life?, It’s ALWAYS a good thing. Much love to you parre.

There are only a few people that I know that truly represent the culture of Hip Hop to its fullest. Paulskeee just happens to be one of the few people that I know that does. From putting together legendary cultural hip hop events to teaching/mentoring world champions and global influences, Paulskeee’s influence on hip hop culture is major. I’ve been lucky enough to be one of those people to learn a thing or two from Paulskeee. When I didn’t believe in putting my art out there, Paulskeee was one of the few people that helped give me the confidence that I needed to share my art with the world. I can honestly say I owe a part of my success as a DJ to Paulskeee. Paulskeee really does an amazing job at guiding and pushing people to excel in their craft far beyond most dream of. His guidance is truly selfless. Paulskeee has the wisdom of a master, but he’s also a student to the culture. While he teaches great lessons, he also takes the time to listen. Paulskeee teaches the essence of the culture but he also understands the importance of keeping an open ear to the youth. The youth is what drives the culture. While the youth drives the culture, Paulskeee is one of those people that makes sure the youth keeps their eyes on the road to stays on the right path.

Paulskeee has been and still is a great contributor to this Hip Hop. From his works with passing on tradition with his crew Rock Force that started in 1983, he continues to develops the youth and be a beacon to all up and coming artists of Hip Hop. Not just B-boys but DJs, Emcees, and Aerosol Writers as well. All of his events that he has been apart of and creating have helped the competition scene of this dance and have paved the way for many dancers not just in the Bay Area but world wide, including myself. I have been to many of his events and have always felt inspired to keep on dancing after attending. One of the most important traits I have seen is how he makes it important to pass on tradition, to understand foundation, as well as giving a chance to evolve the art. I am thankful that I have gotten to know Paulskeee and have had moments of seeing him as a B-boy, a mentor and also a father.

Growing up without my father I’ve only had 3 men that i consider father figures in my life and Paulskeee is one of them. Now being 30 years old I reminisce to the days where Paulskeee would take the time to call me to make sure I was doing my school work, eating healthy, practicing dancing and on the weekends he would pay for my round trip train ride from Sacramento to Union City just so he could train me in Breaking. Paulskeee never asked for me to pay him for his time, he only wanted to see a 14 year old succeed in academics and Breaking. Now after 18+ years of Paulskeee mentoring me I can honestly say that none of my accolades would have been accomplished without the help of Paulskeee. I was able to travel to over 25+ different countries, win numerous Breakdancing world championships and graduate college. I am extremely blessed to have a mentor such as Paulskeee Ruma.

I’ve known Paulskeee for well over 10 years now and I can say he has been a great influence on me and people around me. Paulskeee has always been one of those guys in the Hip Hop scene that had a good eye for the talented youth in our scene and would take them under his wing and show them the ropes. In fact, he was one of the first people to give trust in me to judge his event despite my young age. He always believed in me and held me to a standard and morale that he holds himself to. He also gave my cousin Dj Lean Rock one of his first shots to showcase his talent on the big stage. Paulskeee is forever engraved a legend in our community, he has contributed a great deal of himself in his events, mentoring, teaching and even leading one of Americas most successful crews, “Rock Force Crew”. Today Paulskeee remains a true leader and a student of the game. From winning world championship events to teaching students all over the world for over two decades, he remains humble and he remains an inspiration to me and many others.

Because of Paulskeee, I took my first big steps into the Breaking scene nationally and internationally. One thing I will always remember and appreciate is out of all the B-boys making they’re life happen on the floor, there was always one man making things happen for them off of the dance floor. This man that would stand up for any of us. If he heard someone bad mouthing us, he would be there to defend us. He reminded us constantly to study our roots of the Hip Hop culture, not just in dance and music, but also in life. Paul not only helped Rock Force Crew, he helped many other crews with their careers, events, life skills, the list goes on. Paul is the kind of man, friend, mentor and colleague that will strive to go out of his way to help others. Paul gave us a platform and a place in time to become champions. He’s taken dancers from all over the world and shown them things they probably never would’ve had a chance to see had it not been for his selfless opportunities and guiding us out of some of the hardest and roughest neighborhoods. It is a pleasure to see him now giving back to the youth in schools. When thinking about leaving a legacy in Hip Hop, the journey of Paulskeee is a book that we should all take a page out of.

I was brought into a culture of purity when I was 16 years old. Growing up watching amazing bboys like Kmel, Remind, Vietnam, or crews like Style Elements, Rock Force, and Renegades was the norm. Events like Mighty4 kept Northern California alive bringing out some of the best, newest, and freshest dancers into the scene. People would train all year around for these individual Bboy competitions. The Out for Fame championship was one of the best VHS tapes you could ever own. If it wasn’t for Paulskeee’s events, I wouldn’t be where I am now as a artist. I would defiantly be in a life of crime, life took me and changed me as a kid. I was able to let out my anger, frustration and focus on my creativity and expression. Growing up in this culture, you had to have tough skin, no easy props, everything earned. But when you put in the work and got your credit when it was due, the result was unexplainable. Thank you Paulskeee for providing me a outlet and a culture to create from. ✌🏻One love.

Paulskeee Ruma is man of great dignity and I can say that he is a great teacher as well a great student. Since meeting this man in 1997, I have went on to accomplish many accolades in dance, education and community work. Paul heard of my talent as a dancer as I had danced at events around California. We met and he began showing me the ways of business in the dance world. At the time, Paulskeee had one the largest Hip-Hop events in the Bay Area, so I knew that this man knew what he was doing. Paulskeee continued to mentor me on the events and community outreach. I can say that all in all I am an asset to the community thanks to his guidance. Paulskeee is a large asset to the community as well for the joy and positivity he can bring to the masses. Paulskeee continues learning worldwide and takes on many studies to broaden his knowledge. As his motto says, he is “Always a Student”.

Paulskeee has given a lot of people in Hip Hop culture a spark and push in what they were doing. If you won a Mighty4 or just repped at a Mighty4, it propelled you a step further because you had to have a respected event and you have to have an event that the people believe in, which is what the Mighty4 does.

When I met Paulskee I was just a young teenager. But I always looked up to him because I sensed the humble leadership in him since the beginning. I already knew who he was from the knowledge of my mentors and of course the impact he has provided for the community. Mighty4 & the Out For Fame West Coast Finals was actually the first VHS I’ve ever watched and of course being from the west coast, it sparked a great amount of inspirations I still have to this day. I definitely wouldn’t be the B-boy I am today without his guidance and work he has set out as a platform for most B-boys grown up or inspired in and from the 1990s. Today, he still carries the humble leadership I’ve seen from when I first met him and I know as long as he remains the same, we have a good future for the scene and communities world wide. Much love and respect and a huge thank you for paving the way for many and more to come! One!

Paulskeee, has been a leader in the community by the actions he has taken through Hip Hop. From Mighty4 to Out For Fame, Paulskeee has provided the Hip Hop and Breaking community a platform where we can highlight our talents at. This was definitely essential for our scene in the 2000’s attracting top national and international talent at his events, pushing the scene to grow on all aspects. Rock Force Crew was another example of his leadership in bringing people together and building a strong presence on the worldwide scene. Much respect for always connecting the elements and for his role in community unity through his events.

Mighty4 always brings me back to how I got into Hip-Hop culture and how its evolved.In this day where music & TV doesn’t focus much on the true original elements of Hip-Hop, I feel it’s important that events like Mighty4 take place so the youth know that the culture is alive and well even though it isn’t well represented on the mainstream. Big up to Paulskeee.

I have got to know about Paulskeee through his Mighty4 events and involvement in the Out For Fame Breaking Championship dance events. His approach to always present Hip Hop culture in full highlighting Music, Dance, Fashion, Art and Cultural activities have been big inspiration for the creation of The Notorious IBE. It has learned us the value of preserving tradition and at the same time to manifest current events in a world that is constantly changing.

I’ve had some pretty good memories in my dance career like working for Cirque Du Soleil, Doing a theatre stint in Japan, etc. One amazing memory that still sits at the top is winning the Battle of the Year World Championship Germany in 1998. After all these years having a dance career I still touch the beginning of it. I guess it was my foundation that made it all happen & Paul “Paulskeee” Ruma was a part of that development . His guidance, coaching, & tough love helped breed a bunch of underdogs into champions. You can say it was passion coming from a small town & wanting to hear that you made noise from a place most people wouldn’t even think about. Paulskeee has been devoted to the culture, music & dance of HipHop. He bred that into his crew & we used those building blocks to develop our mindsets & careers. I am honored to have been part of his movement & I hope you get to experience the same.

Much respect and Blessings to Paulskeee for always providing true Hip Hop Culture. He has created platforms such as Hip Hop events, a line of students and teachers to educate and inspire. The Out For Fame championship and Mighty4 are two major events that made people want to train hard if I was competing or judging. I was and still always a fan and supporter of what Paulskeee organized. Thank you!

Paulskeee and I go back to about the mid 1990’s. The way I met Paulskeee was through this great culture called Hip Hop that we both share and love. We can say we met on the battle fields with my crew and his crew on some of the Bay Area’s Breakin circuits. Since the day I met Paulskeee we have always built on topics exchanged/shared opinions concerning this great culture and its pioneers. I have had the honor to be asked to judge and be a part ofmany global events he has organized. These platforms have been a essential part of many dancers growth and history as they were coming up. I truly believe that his contributions is a major asset in this culture. I feel blessed that I have been able to see that growth in so many including myself and Paul himself. For me what stood out the most about Paul, and I still hold this opinion, is that he would always go out and make it happen regardless of what limited resources he had. For me that is a sign of someone that will never let limitations or fear hold him back. Create something from nothing. That is how Hip Hop culture has always grown and been. It comes from people that work with what they got at that time and build from it. Paul is the perfect example of that. I am really proud, honored and inspired of all his successes. I want to finish this by saying thank you for what you have done, are doing and will continue to do! As the saying goes and a saying that you have made into a statement, “Always a Student!” Peace and Respect.

As a young man, I didn’t really have any focus until I witnessed an iconic dance battle: Rock Force vs. The Family. After seeing the intense battle, I begin to gain the focus I was once lacking. This led me to research the Crews that were involved. To my surprise, members of the winning Crew was from my city and led by “Paulskeee”. I was determined to meet him and learn what it would take to reach his level. A local dance competition took place soon after, allowing me the chance to meet Rock Force Crew and ask questions. This meeting inspired me to take my dancing to the next level. When we talked, I was in Flexible flav—a rival crew to Paul’s own, but he saw potential in me and wanted me to succeed. Presently, I am now internationally known and hold the record for the Most Titles won in the Bboy (Break Dancing) Community. This wouldn’t have happened without the inspiration and encouragement from Paulskeee.